Four members of King Diamond's classic late-'80s lineup have resurfaced together in a new band. Lex Legion brings together guitarist Pete Blakk, bassist Hal Patino, guitarist and producer Andy La Rocque, and drummer Mikkey Dee — the latter best known for over two decades with Motörhead and a decade-long tenure with Scorpions — alongside vocalist Nils K. Rue, who made his name across five albums with Pagan's Mind.
The band was formed by Dee and Blakk, with the remaining members drawn from decades of shared history. All four instrumentalists appeared together on King Diamond's Them and Conspiracy, and the reunion has been a long time coming.
La Rocque, who has been a fixture of King Diamond since 1985 and also appeared on Death's landmark Individual Thought Patterns, describes the project as something entirely its own.
"The song style is different from King Diamond but still from the same era," La Rocque says. "The riffs are different, and the arrangements are a little less progressive and a little more straightforward. There are elements of everything on the album. The right tempo and the right kind of vocals, both starting out like a fist in your face!"
The self-titled debut Lex Legion arrives in June 2026 via MNRK Music Group. La Rocque is clear about the intent behind it: "This is totally unique. No one is writing this kind of music, and there's a big hole for us to fill. The album is a journey, and every song is like the beat of a movie. I want listeners to travel back."
The band points to Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, and Accept as touchstones, and the first two singles bear that out. Lead single "Sleep Eternally", out 03/31, opens the record.
La Rocque describes it as arriving "like a fist in your face," with Rue's vocals and Dee's drumming locking in from the first few seconds. Follow-up "Gypsy Tears" leans into the atmosphere without losing momentum.
Dee sums up the band's approach with characteristic directness: "Lex Legion is totally written the way we thought in the '80s. We wrote what we wanted, and if you liked it, that was a great bonus. If you didn't like it, that was fine with us, too! Enjoy it or fuck off!"
